Soccer

Womens Soccer Remains Unbeaten in Big Sky, Tops Portland State 2-0

Oct 17, 2010

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Junior goalkeeper Tori Rocke made a
season-high seven saves for her sixth shutout of the year and
Northern Arizona got a pair of goals from senior Brandy Carr and
junior Jenna
Samora in a three minute stretch midway through the second half
to give the Lumberjacks a 2-0 win over Portland State. Northern
Arizona extended its unbeaten streak to eight games, improving to
8-3-3 overall and a Big Sky-leading 3-0-1 in conference while the
Vikings now stand at 6-9-1 overall and 2-2-0 in the Big Sky.

"We new this would be a tough game, as Portland State has played
us really close over the last-three years," said head coach Andre
Luciano. "I thought our team did a great job at halftime making
some adjustments. We knew we just had to be patient and with a
little perseverance it would pay off in the end."

Both Rocke and Portland State sophomore goalkeeper Lainey
Hulsizer were sharp early, as each keeper made three saves in the
opening 19 minutes of the contest. NAU came close to a goal in the
25th minute, as senior defender Tori Howe sent a cross
to Samora in front of the Viking goal but her shot missed just
wide.

Portland State's best chance in the first half came in the 41st
minute as senior Emily Rhode had a shot hit the crossbar. Rocke
made five first-half saves while Hulsizer totaled four stops as the
game went to the half scoreless.

After 16 minutes and 45 seconds had been played in the second
half, the game was stopped for several minutes as Portland State
sophomore Carlie Martin had to be carried off the field after
sustaining an apparent right leg injury.

Nine minutes after the lengthy delay, the Lumberjacks would
break the stalemate off a free kick from 25 yards out. Senior Kristi
Andreassen played the ball short, with a deflection from senior
Sam Monahan
finding Carr for an open look from atop the Viking box. The
Lumberjack senior fired a perfect shot to the top-right corner of
the Portland State goal to put NAU ahead.

After scoring two goals in just one minute and six seconds on
Friday, the Lumberjacks would again find a second quick tally on
Sunday just 2:52 after Carr's goal. Andreassen attempted another
free kick, sending a perfect feed to the left post of the Portland
State goal. Samora was there for a diving header past Hulsizer for
her third goal of the season and a 2-0 Lumberjack lead.

With a two goal cushion, the NAU defense did not allow a single
Portland State shot for the remaining 16 minutes of the contest to
maintain a 2-0 victory.

Rocke's season-high seven saves extended her NAU school record
to 17 career solo shutouts. Hulsizer finished with seven stops for
the Vikings, as NAU held a slim 13-11 shot advantage for the game.
Only two corner kicks were attempted in the game (both by NAU) and
only seven total fouls were called in the contest, with no fouls
being whistled in the first half.

DID YOU KNOW… The Northern Arizona
University athletics department recorded a cumulative grade point
average of 3.07 GPA among its more than 300 student-athletes at the
completion of the spring semester. It marked the 12th
semester out of the last 13 overall that the Lumberjack
student-athletes have recorded a 3.00 cumulative GPA or higher.
Since 1998, NAU student athletes have earned a 3.0 cumulative GPA
or higher in 22 out of 24 semesters.